France automated blocking of pirate IPTV services, Digi Mart USA News (France): Under a law adopted in August 2026, sports rights holders can automatically transmit new addresses of pirate services, including IPTV services, to intermediaries designated by the courts. This would allow them to ensure automated blocking of pirate services that retransmit their live programs.
The system is expected to take effect in the coming weeks, although January 2027 is sometimes mentioned as the start date. Meanwhile, beIN Sports has won a court battle.
According to Clubic, the Paris judicial court, in a decision issued on October 16, authorized the network to use this mechanism to protect its rights related to the broadcast of the German Bundesliga football championship.
According to the report, the Arcom regulator will continue to monitor the system and may approve the methods used to collect addresses and the measures applied. Caroline Besse Guenneteau, secretary general of beIN Media Group, said: “Once it is implemented, we will be able to act in real time, at the very moment matches are broadcast.”
The source notes that the idea, although appealing on paper, caused significant problems in Italy and Spain, where it has been implemented. The measure carries risks because a single server can host both illicit sites and entirely legal sites that citizens rely on.
In Spain, the measure unintentionally affected many legitimate sites and platforms hosted by the same provider.
Companies and users increasingly protest and denounce unjustified cutoffs that harm certain fundamental rights. Citing El Pais last year, Ofelia Tejerina, a lawyer and president of the Association of Internet Users, said: “It affects freedom of information, freedom of expression, freedom of enterprise.”
Faced with this risk, French authorities have said they will closely monitor the system to prevent it from affecting entirely innocent sites. It will be interesting to see whether these assurances hold up over time.
